


with each sunset (comes the promise of a new day)

by timelessidyll



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: First Meetings, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, and i blame ves, chenle's a photographer, renjun's a writer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-07 03:24:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14662299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timelessidyll/pseuds/timelessidyll
Summary: Renjun and Chenle, separately, were content – maybe not happy, but content.(As much as Chenle thought that the biggest cliché in photography was the sunrise and sunset, with Renjun, he didn't mind them.)





	with each sunset (comes the promise of a new day)

Renjun and Chenle didn’t meet in college, surprisingly enough. For a larger variety of courses, Renjun had gone to Seoul National University, and Chenle had attended Hongik University on a scholarship. Their friend groups didn’t intersect either. Jeno and Jaemin were both dancers at SNU, while Jisung and Donghyuck attended Seoul Institute of the Arts and Mark went to Korea National University of Arts. Their college years flew by, and before they knew it, they had graduated.

 

They didn’t meet during the beginning of their careers either. Chenle got a job working as a photographer for a fashion magazine, and he steadily worked his way up the ladder to become one of their best photographers. Renjun used his graphic design degree to apply for a different magazine, and when they think back on it, they both wonder how much different their lives would have been if they’d worked for the same company. On the side of being a graphic designer, Renjun was a writer. He designed his own covers, self-published his stories, and in a few years, he became a bestseller with  _ Sunsets on the Waves _ . The title would become ironic soon enough. Donghyuck was a choreographer now, as was Jeno, Mark had become a producer, and Jaemin and Jisung became part of a dance troupe that performed during events and showcases. They lived, maybe not totally happy, but satisfied with what they had achieved in five years.

 

They met on a beach at sunset. Renjun had been sketching the scenery in his worn book; the waves as they lapped against the shoreline, the swaying of the tufts of grass on the small sand hills, and the clouds that hovered just above the horizon to scatter the light of the sun. The wind blew in his face, bringing the smell of the ocean with it, salty and bitter and intoxicating. Everything was peaceful, so much quieter than the city life he led every day.

 

He would ask himself later: what would have happened if he hadn’t decided to go the beach that day? What would have happened if he chose a different place to sit and draw? What if Chenle had asked someone else to be his impromptu model for his impromptu photo shoot? As it was, Chenle had asked him to do it. When, Renjun hadn’t really been able to tell, but the streaks of purple, pink, and orange in the sky were burned into his memory. The sunset was beautiful, but the lights they cast on Chenle’s face were breathtaking.

 

When Chenle had asked to take a picture of the elegant man on the beach, he hadn’t been thinking that he would be sitting in a coffee shop a few days later to show him the results of the photoshoot. He couldn’t help but fidget with his hands and the pencil he’d found in his bag, tapping it on the table top to keep his nerves at bay. He was surprised by how worked up he was getting over this simple meeting. The clock on his phone turned to 16:00 and Renjun walked into the café. If Chenle hadn’t already been so nervous, seeing Renjun would’ve done him in for sure. He was wearing thin wire-rimmed glasses, a simple brown and green plaid shirt, and tan pants. Renjun fit right in with the rustic coffee shop aesthetic, and Chenle had the urge to grab his camera and take a picture. Breathtaking, he thought.

 

Their second meeting went well. Too well, Renjun complained to himself. Chenle was kind, he was excited about his passion, and he liked hearing him talk. Especially since they could talk in Mandarin and feel a little less alone. It was supposed to be a meeting to retrieve the pictures Chenle took of him, but Renjun was already enthralled, and he wanted to hate the warm feeling inside of him when he was with Chenle and he didn’t at the same time. He surprised himself by asking for Chenle’s number and was in turn surprised by Chenle when he gave it to him.

 

In the beginning, their texting was sporadic. As with all strangers, it was difficult to begin talking to Chenle despite how much he liked him. It took them a month, but soon they were texting regularly. They met up more often too, eventually bringing their two friend groups together. Renjun introduced him to his brother Xuxi, and Chenle introduced him to Kun. And slowly, slowly, Renjun knew he was falling past the point of infatuation. Maybe he didn’t find it to be that bad of a situation. Being in love with Chenle was comfortable, unhurried. It was calm, and perhaps it was also the inspiration of his next book. He didn’t have a title yet, but that didn’t matter too much. It was the story that mattered.

 

It was a bright day when Chenle officially asked Renjun to be his boyfriend. The sky was a pale blue, not too bright, and the clouds were sparse and far in between. The two of them had agreed to take their regular Sunday meetings outside to enjoy the weather, and Chenle came armed with his camera, for “quality pictures” he said. Renjun merely rolled his eyes in fond exasperation, enjoying the excitement that Chenle displayed at being able to photograph their surroundings. They’d chosen to take a walk through the park, one with winding paths lined with trees. While Renjun’s eyes were focused on the scenery that he wished he had the time to draw, Chenle’s lens found him and snapped some secret pictures. When he turned back to ask why Chenle was being so quiet, he found him staring at him, a soft smile on his face. Renjun had felt his own heart stutter and the words die in his throat. A light blush warmed his cheeks.

 

All of their friends had been in on it, evidently. Chenle had acted on his love, which couldn’t be said for Renjun; he would’ve rather stewed in unrequited love than ruin what they had. He was glad Chenle was the opposite of him in that regard. The question was asked through pictures. Each one was a picture of him with a different person, and the back had different labels. Jaemin was labeled as his best friend, Jeno as his most talented – much to Renjun’s amusement – Mark was his most philosophical friend, Donghyuck was his sassiest friend, and Jisung was his saltiest. On the back of his picture with Chenle was a question.

 

‘Can I be your boyfriend?’

 

They moved in together five months later. It wasn’t as stressful as Renjun had expected, and he was happy because his manuscript was about to go in for editing. He’d let Chenle read it through, and when he asked about the title, Renjun only smiled secretively. Before he gave it to his editor, he added a title.

  
_ Picturesque _ .

**Author's Note:**

> this is all ves' fault but at the same time i've been wanting to write a renle au forever. i'm just sorry it was this short.


End file.
